Falling Down on the Job at A Southern Season
The wise words below are for you if you want to get 2 goal, if you want to be a better manager and/or if you want to boost morale & productivity.
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing the management team of a business called A Southern Season. We talked about their past, their present, their future and the management practices and philosophies which have served as a strong foundation and guide to success.
A Southern Season first opened 
as a coffee roastery in 1975, occupying just 800 square feet of a building in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. Since then, they expanded to a 28,000 square foot space; and then to a 60,000 square foot space. And they now enjoy national acclaim and a worldwide following. If you aren’t in Chapel Hill, you can still get a feel for A Southern Season and purchase their products by going to: www.asouthernseason.com.
Now back to the interview and the wise words they shared.
In one segment, General Manager Briggs Wesche, talked about her boss, the store’s Founder and Owner, Michael Barefoot.
You can push “play”(white arrow in little blue circle) and listen to the one minute excerpt or read the text or – I hope you’ll do both.
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One of the things Briggs respects about Michael is that he empowers people to go out and try things. If they fail, he helps pick them up and figure out how to do it better next time – helping the individual and the organization grow.
When asked about this, Michael shared a motto he lives by: Read more
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10 Tips for Getting Back Up
When you go after a goal, you’ll fall down a time or two. If not, it’s not a very challenging goal. Either that or you aren’t trying very hard.
So let’s assume it’s a very challenging goal and that you are trying very hard and that you have crashed to the ground.
Pay attention to the Quote of the Week from Vince Lombardi:
“The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.”
Getting back up is often easier said than done.
Here are 10 things you can do to help yourself get back up. Read more
Quote of the Week: In Celebration of Lombardi Gras
Note: If a President’s Day quote suits your purpose better, take a look at A Tip from the President and What’s your favorite presidential quote?
While the official kick off of Mardi Gras isn’t until tomorrow, the party started last week when the New Orleans Saints won Super Bowl XLIV and brought home the Lombardi Trophy. It was a great victory – a much needed morale boost – for a city that has been slowly re-building from the devastation from Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Many have called the celebration, “Lombardi Gras”.
It’s a perfect time to remember wise words from Vince Lombardi that serve to boost morale and productivity – words that can help us get 2 goal – words that can help us help others do the same. All three of the quotes below have the same basic meaning. We’ve included all three so you can choose the best one for your purpose.
1. ”It’s easy to have faith in yourself and have discipline when you’re a winner, when you’re number one. What you’ve got to have is faith and discipline when you’re not a winner. It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up.”
2. “The greatest accomplishment is not in never falling, but in rising again after you fall.”
3. “Winners never quit and quitters never win.”
Want to use one of the above quotes as background or wallpaper for your computer? Read more
What’s your favorite presidential quote?
In preparation for President’s Day (Monday, February 15), we’d like to know your favorite presidential quote(s). The ones you find most inspirational or most helpful.
We shared a few in A Tip from the President…got any more from Lincoln or Presidents of the United States or other countries?
Be sure to tell us the quote AND the person who said it AND the country if not the United States.
Movie of the Week: For Presidents Day
For those of us who want to be better managers…there is much to learn from United States Presidents past and present. Here is a quick review – all 44 of them in less than 4 minutes.
While watching it, my thought was about the many faces of leadership. There are many ways to do it right and wrong. And the right way for one of us may not be the right way for others. Read more
A Tip from the President
Actually – 5 tips from Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, who was born on this day in 1809.
Lincoln left us with many words of wisdom that can help those of us who want to be better managers…those of us who want to get 2 goal…those of us who feel pressed by 2 little time.
Here are our top five favorite quotes from Abraham Lincoln: Read more
10 Tips from Lincoln On Leadership
Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times – a terrific book by Donald Phillips
In its 23rd printing. Translated into 7 languages.
In his book, Donald Phillips discusses the topics of: people, character, endeavor and communication.
Each chapter is summarized by a list of “Lincoln Principles”.
Here are ten of my favorites:
1. Seek casual contact with your subordinates. It is as meaningful as a formal gathering, if not more so.
2. If your subordinates can stand it, so can you. Set a good example.
3. When you extinguish hope, you create desperation.
4. When you make it to the top, turn and reach down for the person behind you.
5. It would not hurt you much if, once in a while, you could manage to let things slip, unbeknownst-like.
6. Touch people with the better angels of your nature.
7. Remember that it is not best to swap horses when crossing streams.
8. Remember that compromise does not mean cowardice.
9. Your task will neither be done nor attempted unless you watch it every day and hour, and force it.
10. Provide a clear, concise statement of the direction of your organization, and justify the actions you take.
Rich with food for thought. Get it from your library, your local bookstore or click on the book cover (or here to order online.
copyright 2010 – Business Class Inc
Related Articles:
They Do Business with Heart at Phelps High in DC
Note from Jan: This is a beautiful story about a group of individuals who do their business with heart and the impact it has on the morale and productivity of those around them. Thank you, Josie, for sharing this story.
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I teach at a public high school in Washington, DC. I am convinced that our custodial staff consists of some of the warmest men in the city. They arrive before the rest of the staff, stay later, and brightly greet us all. Going above the call of their job description, they act as mentors and coaches for the students of our school. Throughout the day they can be found counseling students and checking up on them in class.
The “Saturday Scholars” committee held a meeting to discuss incentives to boost student attendance to this weekend tutorial program. Our custodial foreman was in attendance to discuss building issues. While we brainstormed, he chimed in that he would be happy to bring his grills and host a cookout when the weather warmed up. Read more
Susan Eslick Does Business with Heart
A story shared by Kristin Tucker
Susan in San Francisco does business with a BIG heart in my book!
A few days before Christmas 2009 I was surfing online for a cool new 2010 calendar/planner to help me kick off the New Year. A Read more
VIETRI Does Business with Heart
If you are Serious About Service then you probably already do business with heart. And you probably already know that one of the best ways to establish, grow and nurture such a culture is by reading and sharing stories about people inside and outside of your organization who do business with heart.
If you have seen their products in the stores or have spent any time on their website, you probably already have the feeling that VIETRI, wholesaler of handcrafted Italian home products, does business with heart. After having had the pleasure of spending some time with their management team, I can tell you that it’s more than just a feeling. Doing business with heart seems to be part of the VIETRI culture – running deep and wide throughout their organization. Here are two stories to demonstrate.
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One Friday after closing time, the last three employees were shutting off the last lights in the VIETRI reception area, when the phone rang.
It was a store owner in Georgia who said she had a top customer standing beside her who desperately needed four place settings of dinnerware shipped to her overnight. Her husband’s bosses were coming to dinner Saturday night(the very next day). Could they help her? She was desperate! Read more
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